Screw cap remover with impaling means



Nov. 30', 1954 c. F. VOYTECH SCREW CAP REMOVER WITH IMPALING MEANS FiledMay 21, 1953 United States PatentOfiflce 2,695,536 Patented Nov. 30,1954 SCREW CAP REMOVER WITH IMPALING MEANS Charles F. Voytech, Chicago,Ill. Application May 21, 1953, Serial No. 356,346 8 Claims. (Cl. 813.48)

This invention relates to screw-cap openers for bottles, jars and thelike.

The principal object of this invention is to provide an opener forbottle and jar caps of the screw type which will be extremelyinexpensive to make. More specifically, it is an object of thisinvention to make an opener for screw caps which can be formed as asingle piece stamping.

A feature of this invention is a needle for piercing the cap of a bottleor jar to equalize the pressure on both sides of the cap, the needlebeing then utilized as a means for impressing a torque on the cap tounscrew it. As an additional feature, the needle is made integrally withthe opener and other parts of the opener are utilized to affordprotection against any damage being done by the needle when the openeris laid away.

A still further feature of this invention is an opener for bottle capswherein the opener is provided with spaced tabs for engagement with thecorrugated side of a bottle cap and with a needle disposed between saidtabs so as to be protected thereby.

These and other objects and features of this invention will becomeapparent from the following detailed description when taken togetherwith the accompanying drawings in which Fig. l is a plan view inperspective of an opener embodying this invention;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of a portion of the opener of Fig. 1 showing theopener applied to a bottle cap;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary elevation in section of the opener and cap takenalong line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary section taken along line 44 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary section taken along line 44 of Fig. 3but with the opener removed;

Fig. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary section taken through one of the tabsof an opener disposed as shown in the dot-dash circle bearing the number6 in Fig. 2 and showing how the tab cooperates with a cap; and

Fig. 7 is a plan view of a modification of the opener of Fig. 1.

Referring now to the drawings for a detailed description of the forms ofthe invention chosen for illustration, the opener is shown at 10 as asingle elongated piece of metal having a handle portion 11 at one endand having a bent-over tab 12 at its other end. The said other end maybe of reduced width compared to the width of the handle end, and may bejoined to the handle end by a diagonal 13. At the intersection of thediagonal 13 with the side 14 of handle 11 is a bent-over tab 15. Thefunctions of tabs 12 and 15 will be described in detail hereinafter.

Between tabs 12 and 15, are preferably on diagonal 13, is a needle 16,formed integrally with opener 10 from a pointed tab which is bent overin the same general direction as tabs 12 and 15. It will be observedthat both tabs 12 and 15 are of substantially the same length and thatneedle 16 is slightly shorter than said tabs 12 and 15. Thus when opener10 is laid down or dropped on the side toward which said tabs and theneedle are bent, the tabs will contact the surface on which the openeris laid, but needle 16 will not contact the surface and hence will beprotected by the tabs against damage. Conversely, needle 16 will notscratch the surface since it will not contact it.

Since needle 16 is disposed between tabs 12 and 15, it will be lesslikely to cause injury to the user of the opener, the tabs 12 and 15again serving to avoid contact between the user and the needle.

The purpose of the needle 16 is to provide a means for piercing thecover of a bottle or jar which is to be unscrewed. This establishes'adirect passage to the interior of the bottle or jar through which thepressure on both sides of the cover may be equalized. Once the pressureis thus equalized, very little turning effort is normally required tounscrew the cap, and the extension of the needle through the capprovides a means for gripping the cap to exert such turning effort.

The manner in which the opener is applied to a cap is disclosed in Fig.2. It will be observed that the narrower end of the opener generallyoverlies the cap 17 to be unscrewed. Said cap is usually made of verythin gage metal having a flat cover portion 18 and a depending flange 19(Fig. 3) having threads 20 formed therein to cooperate with threads 21formed in the side of a bottle or jar 22. A seal is effected between theopen end 23 of the bottle and the cap 17 by a washer 24 of rubber or thelike which is compressed between cap 17 and said open end 23.

As shown in Figs. 4 and 5, it is desirable to pierce cap 17 at a pointslightly within the open end 23 of the bottle, but still over the regionnormally contacted by washer 24. Thus the opening 25 made by needle 16as shown in Fig. 5 is adapted to be closed by washer 24 when needle- 16is removed, and reestablishes a seal between the interior and exteriorof the bottle.

The correct position of needle 16 as illustrated in Figs. 4 and S isassured by the relative disposition of the needle 16 and tabs 12 and 15around the periphery of cap 17. This disposition is such that when edge26 of tab 15 and edge 27 of tab 12 engage the periphery of cap 17,needle 16 will be located in the desired position said cap. It will beobserved that the upper peripheral region 28 (Fig. 3) of cap 17 is.corrugated. Said edges 26 and 27 are preferably made sharp enough toengaged the corrugations as shown, for example, in Fig. 6. Thisengagement provides, together with the entry of needle 16 in opening 25,a means for securely gripping cap 17 so that thereafter by turning theopener counterclockwise as viewed in Fig. 2, said cap will be unscrewedfrom bottle 22.

To use opener 10, the portion containing tabs 12 and 15 is placed overthe cap to be unscrewed, with the edges 27 and 26 of said tabs engagingthe corrugations in the upper peripheral region 28 of the cap. Since thetabs are longer than needle 16, it is possible to use the tabs to locatethe opener correctly on the cap prior to its use. With the tabs incontact with periphery 28, pressure is then exerted by the user upon theflat portion of the opener immediately adiacent needle 16. this beingreadily done by the palm of the hand. Said pressure causes needle 16 topierce cap 17 whereupon fluid pressure on both sides of cap 17 isinstantly equalized and a firm grip is established upon the cap by theopener. Handle 11 is then uregd in a counterclockwise direction asv1ewed m Fig. 2 and cap 17 is unscrewed by the combined action of needle16 and tabs 12 and 15.

It will be noted from Fig. 4 that needle 16 is disposed over anunsupported region on sealing washer 24 and that needle 16 thereforemerely deforms washer 24 to permit opening 25 to be unobstructed for theequalization of pressure on both sides of the cap.

The appearance of opener 10 may be varied to su t the aesthetic taste ofthe user for whom the opener is intended. The precise location of needle16 may also be varied. Thus, in the modification shown in Fig. 7, theopener 34 is comprised of a handle portion 29, a bentover tab 30 at theopposite end from handle 29, an intermediate tab 31, and a needle 32intermediate tabs 30 and 31. Said needle 32 is formed from a relativelywide portion 33 of opener 29 by punching and bending over a triangularsection of said wide portion 33. Needle 32 may be identical in shape toneedle 16. The wide portion 33 not only provides greater protection fromthe sharp needle 32, but also provides a greater area to be contacted bythe palm of the user when the needle 32 is pressed into a cap 17. Tabs30 and 31 may be ldentical'in form and disposition with tabs 12 and 15respectively-in-Figs; 1-3;

Attention is directed to the shape and slope of needle 16 in Fig, 4. Itis desirable that tabs 12 and 15 be held firmlyagai'nst the corrugatedperiphery 28 of the cap 17. By causing needle 16 to be inclined toward aline 35 connectingtabs 1 2 and 15, saidneedle will'exer-ta-pressureonthe opener in the; direction of the tabs; as the needle ispressed into thecap and will helpto hold the tabs against the cap.

It is also desirable that needle 16 be spaced asfar from tab 12 aspossible so that the torque arm formed by the taband needle be ofmaximum length, and the forces exerted by the tab 12 and needle 16 besubstantially tangential relative to cap 117'.

It is understoodthat needle 16 may be hardened after it is formed toincrease its life and strength. It is also understood that theforegoing; description is illustrative ofpreferred embodiments of theinvention and that the scopeof. the invention is not to be limited,thereto, but is; to be determined by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. An opener for screw-type caps for jars, bottles or the like, saidopener comprising an elongated body,

spaced tabs extending transversely from said body and adapted to engagethe periphery of the cap disposed on one side-ofav diameter of said cap,and. means on the body for engaging the top of said cap by piercing saidtop, said means being disposed between the tabs, and said tabs andpiercing means depending in. the samedirection from the plane of thebody, and said tabs being angularl'y related so that an edge of each tabengages the periphery of the cap to be removed.

2. .An' opener for screw-type caps for jars, bottles or the like, of thetype wherein, the caps have a corrugated periphery, said openercomprising an elongated. body having a tab bent over at one end regionthereof, a tab bent over at a point intermediate the ends. of the body,and a needle also bent over and disposed between the tabs, saidtabs andneedle depending in, the same direction from the plane of the body, andone tab. lying at an angleiwith respect to the other tab whereby an edgeof each tab is adapted to engage the corrugated periphery and; saidneedle will pierce the top of the cap to equalize the pressure of theair on the interior-and exterior of the cap and to provide a means forgrippingthe cap.

3. An opener for screw-type caps for jars, bottles or the like, saidopener comprising an elongated body having a tab-bent over at one endregion thereof; a tabbent over at a point intermediate the ends of thebody and a needle between the tabs and disposed closer to thesecond-mentioned tab than to the first-mentioned tab, said tabs andneedle depending in the same direction from the plane of the body, onetab lying at an angle with respect to the other tab whereby an edge ofeach tab is adapted to contact the. sides of a cap and said needle willpierce the top of said cap to equalize fi'uid" pressure on the interiorand exterior. of the cap.

4. An opener as described in claim 3, said needle being formedintegrally with: the body of the opener;

5. An opener as described in claim 3, said body being widened betweenthe tabs to provide a substantial area upon which pressure may beexerted by the palm of the user to drive the needle into the cap.

6. An opener as described in claim 3, said needle being formedintegrally with the body and being bent over from an edge region of saidbody in thesame direction. as said tabs.

7. An opener as described in claim 3, said needle being formedintegrally with the body andbeing disposed inwardly of the edges of'thebody of'the opener;

8. An opener'asdescribed in claim 3, said elongated body being generallyflat over the region between the tabs; said needle being inclinedrelative to the plane of the flat region when the opener is inuse, theinclination being in the direction of a lineconnecting thetabs, suchthat pressure exerted upon the opener in the direction of the cap to'cause the needle to pierce the cap creates a component of force betweenthe; cap and needle tending tocause a firmer engagement between the tabsand cap.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberName Date 1,522,320" Norwood Jan. 6, .1925 1,838,141 Gowen' Dee. 29,1931 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country .Date 314,381 Germany Jan.. 25, 1219554,431 France Mar. 1, 1923

